Mink lung cells and mixed mink lung cell cultures are extremely sensitive for the rapid detection of various influenza and parainfluenza viruses (See, U.S. Pat. No. 6,168,915 herein incorporated by reference in its entirety; and Huang and Turchek, J. Clin. Microbiol. 38:422–423 [2000]). Additionally, mink lung cells have also been proposed as a potential replacement for chicken embryonated eggs and/or Madin-Darby canine kidney (MDCK) cells for the production of flu vaccines (Schultz-Cherry et al., J. Clin. Microbiol. 36:3718–3720 [1998]). However, one major drawback to the use of mink lung cells for the detection and production of influenza and parainfluenza viruses is that the virions produced from mink lung cells are not very infectious. Thus, mink lung cells are expected to be less sensitive than desirable for the late detection of cultured clinical specimens, and are not expected to be capable of producing high titer virus stocks for influenza and parainfluenza vaccine formulations.
Thus, what is needed are cells with enhanced sensitivity to influenza and parainfluenza virus infection to permit rapid detection of these respiratory viruses. Additionally, there is need in the art for cultured cells capable of producing high titers of infectious influenza and parainfluenza for use in influenza and parainfluenza vaccines.